Atletico Madrid sign Alexander Sorloth for €30m: Decoding his stats
Atletico Madrid have signed Norway striker Alexander Sorloth from fellow La Liga club Villarreal. As per Fabrizio Romano, Atletico will pay €30m fixed fee plus add-ons for the 28-year-old. Atletico let Alvaro Morata leave for AC Milan earlier and were in search of a striker. With Sorloth having a dream 2023-24 campaign, Atletico were keen for his services. He has signed a four-year contract.
Why does this story matter?
Sorloth's capture looks promising for Diego Simeone. He would be leading the attack alongside Antoine Griezmann. Notably, Sorloth was the second-highest scorer in La Liga 2023-24 behind Artem Dovbyk, who joined AS Roma from Girona. Atletico's first choice was 27-year-old Dovbyk but negotiations with the player broke down after talks reached an advanced stage. Sorloth is Atletico's second signing after defender Robin Le Normand.
Sorloth scored 26 goals for Villarreal in his solitary campaign
Sorloth joined Villarreal in the summer of 2023 and leaves the club after just one season. In 41 matches across competitions, he scored 26 goals. Notably, 23 of his goals came in La Liga. He also made six assists.
Sorloth's stats in La Liga 2023-24
As mentioned, Sorloth scored 23 goals and made six assists in La Liga 2023-24. He played 34 matches. As per Squawka comparison matrix (data by Opta), Sorloth clocked 59 shots (excluding blocks) out of which 36 were on target. He created 33 chances and owned a passing accuracy of 76.62%. He completed 30 take-ons and 29 lay-offs. He won 80 aerial duels as well.
Sorloth played for Real Sociedad on loan before Villarreal move
Sorloth was on loan at Spanish club Real Sociedad from RB Leipzig in 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons respectively. In his first season, he scored 8 goals in 44 matches (1 assist). In 2022-23, Sorloth managed 16 goals and four assists (46 appearances).
Before Leipzig, Sorloth had loan spells at Trabzonspor and Gent
Sorloth joined Bundesliga side RB Leipzig in the summer of 2020 and made 37 appearances, scoring six goals (4 assists). In 2019-20, Sorloth was on loan at Turkish club Trabzonspor. He scored 33 goals and made 10 assists. In 2018-19, he was on loan at Gent in Belgium for the second half, scoring five goals in 22 matches (A1).
Sorloth played for Crystal Palace
Notably, Sorloth played for Crystal Palace, making 20 appearances for them and scoring once (A1). He had joined the Premier League club in the January transfer window in 2018 from Danish side Midtjylland.
His career stats before Crystal Palace move
Sorloth had joined Midtjylland in the summer of 2017. He spent half a season there. During his time, he impressed, scoring 15 goals in 26 appearances. Before that, Sorloth played for Dutch club Groningen, scoring six goals in 43 matches. He was on loan at Bodo/Glimt before that, scoring 14 times in 29 matches. He started his career at Rosenborg, scoring one goal (M10).
18 goals for Norway
Sorloth has made 53 appearances for Norway in international football, scoring 18 goals. He made his debut in 2016. His best year was in 2019 when he scored four times in five outings.
Sorloth has earned these accolades
Sorloth won the Danish Superliga in 2017-18 with Midtjylland. In 2019-20, he won the Turkish Cup with Trabzonspor. Individually, the promising striker was the top scorer in the Super Lig in 2019-20 with 24 goals. He was also adjudged Super Lig Forward of the Season in 2019-20. Sorloth won La Liga Player of the Month in January 2023 with Villarreal.
